There was the big, bad, reigning No. 1 run defense of the Seahawks. Then there was Elliott, powering behind Dallas' reigning No. 1 run-blocking line and laying the boom on "The Legion of Boom."

After a quiet first series that was overshadowed by quarterback Tony Romo going down hard on his back, Elliott fired up all the hype with carries of 9, 9, 13 and 8 yards to help fellow rookie Dak Prescott deliver another touchdown drive. Two particular plays stood out on that possession.

On a second-and-1 at the 6:41 mark, Elliott began by perfectly following his best blocker, right guard Zach Martin, to the edge before showing his explosive second gear to cut inside. He ended it by driving low into Kam Chancellor to get a few extra yards after contact.

.@EzekielElliott just lowered his shoulder on the hardest hitting safety in the league.

On the next play, Prescott and Elliott couldn't connect on a short pass over the middle, but Chancellor was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a late hit on Elliott.

Elliott runs with attitude, and isn't afraid to intimidate the intimidators. He quickly got into Chancellor's head — by barreling into it. When the Cowboys went 12-4 to win the NFC East in 2014, it was because of their mental and physical toughness. The trademark victory in that season came in Seattle.

That was the other appeal of making the aggressive move to take Elliott No. 4 overall out of Ohio State. Elliott, who boasts a resume that includes carrying the Buckeyes to a national championship, represented someone who could be the future face of the franchise while also fitting the Cowboys' current desired winning identity.

When Romo gave everyone an injury scare, Elliott also did a little-big thing well: pass block. As the most complete back the league has seen in years, it's not just Elliott's smooth, tough running that's critical to the Cowboys' success in 2016. It's helping keep Romo upright and giving him a great dumpoff option when needed.

From what they learned with a healthier, younger Romo in '14, the Cowboys should want be as run-heavy as ever now that Elliott is leading the way.

All in all, Elliott's short opening night, coming off a training camp hamstring injury, was a smashing success. His seven carries for 48 yards are only the start of many impressive stat lines and highlight reels.

We've heard the rushing title predictions, and the comparisons to legendary Cowboys runners past. We've heard about Elliott being the right fight for the ideal rushing offense.